MIZZOU NEWS

MU to Honor Pioneer Who
Broke the Color Barrier

By Tori Reneker

Professor Emeritus Arvarh Strickland changed history at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and now his legacy will be set in stone for the world to see.

In 1969 the historian was the first African-American to join the University's faculty. And to celebrate his accomplishments, MU officials are naming and renovating the General Classroom Building (GCB) in his honor.

“The Legion of Black Collegians (LBC) office told me a couple of years ago that they were going to try to do this, and I didn’t believe that they could,” Strickland said. “I said, 'Thank you for trying,’ but it really knocked me off my feet when it came to be that they were able to make this happen. I was overwhelmed by this and very appreciative.”

The naming was approved by the University of Missouri Board of Curators in April after a combined effort by the Missouri Students Association, the Residence Halls Association and the LBC, which all passed joint resolutions in support of the naming. The GCB is now officially known as the Arvarh E. Strickland building.

Strickland was recruited to bring more African-American faculty to Mizzou. He came to MU as a full tenured professor and continued teaching until retirement in 1995 after 26 years of service. During his tenure, he twice served as interim director of the Black Studies Program, which he was instrumental in creating. He also worked as a special assistant to the Chancellor and as University of Missouri System associate vice president for academic affairs.

“His biggest contribution to Mizzou, in my opinion, was his ongoing efforts to bring more African-American faculty,” Professor Robert Weems Jr. said. “Arv often says, in reference to his early career at MU, ‘I didn’t mind being the first black faculty member here, I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t the only black faculty member here.’”

Strickland already has several visible honors on campus. A room in Memorial Union was named after him, and there's an endowed chair in black history in his name, which is currently held by history Professor Wilma King. He also has received numerous awards, including MU's William H. Byler Distinguished Professor Award, the Mizzou Alumni Association Distinguished Faculty Award and service awards from the State Historical Society of Missouri and the Phi Alpha Theta Honor Society in History. In 1999 he received the Carter G. Woodson Medal from the Association for the Study of African-American History and Culture.

Chancellor Emeritus Richard Wallace worked with Strickland in the early 1980s through the College of Arts and Science and frequently sought his advice during his lengthy career as a faculty member and administrator.

“Dr. Strickland has been an outstanding faculty member, a wonderful teacher and mentor to so many students, a great researcher, and superb ambassador for MU." Wallace said. "In addition, he has persistently and kindly brought important issues to the attention of administration, including me, and has helped broker solutions to difficult and important problems. He was of immense help to me in managing difficult issues.”

Strickland, a Hattiesburg, Miss., native, earned his bachelor's degree from Tougaloo College in Jackson, Miss. After receiving a doctorate in 1962 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he joined the faculty at Chicago State College before coming to MU.

A dedication in honor of Strickland is scheduled during Homecoming week at 10 a.m. Oct. 19 at Stickland Hall. More information about this event is available from the University Events office at 573-882-1989.

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Last Update: March 12, 2007